Current camera systems configured to provide wireless functionality can often be limited in terms of connectivity, scalability, adaptability to new emerging technologies, ease of use, convenience, and overall functionality provided to a user. What is needed is a cost effective device system and method which may make use of an interface device such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) which may already be owned by a photographer to provide substantial user functionality, interface options, and connectivity. Embodiments in accordance with the current disclosure may provide an interface that may be used together with a camera and/or additional wireless communication devices to operate, control, monitor, or otherwise interact with various photographic devices.
Embodiments disclosed herein may provide a device, system, and method that may allow a user to couple a personal digital assistant (“PDA”) such as but not limited to an Apple® iPhone®, iPod® Touch, BlackBerry®, Palm Pilot®, or similar device to a camera, wherein the device, method and system disclosed herein may allow the camera to operate, and otherwise interact, with other devices, other PDAs, Bluetooth® headsets, computers, cameras, photographic lighting equipment, and other photographic accessories which may be of use in the field of photography, and the like.
Generally, a camera may be unable to directly communicate various signals, such as USB signals, to a PDA and vice versa as both the camera and the PDA may function in a USB “Device” mode. As there may be no USB “Host” between the two, it may not be possible to carry out a USB communication. Additionally, even if the two devices could theoretically directly communicate USB data, the various software and/or firmware of a camera and PDA software of a PDA may not be compatible, or they may communicate various signals using incompatible data or packet structures, and the like.
The current disclosure may describe various capabilities which may be provided by various embodiments of hardware, and various arrangements of hardware components, a communication system, as well as various software processes which may be carried out, utilizing various flow paths of control signals, and the like which may be embodied individually, in whole, in part, or in any combination which may provide useful functionality to a communication system, a camera, one or more lighting devices, or to a user. The current disclosure may describe example embodiments having various new and useful features, design specifications, methods, systems, and functionality. It is considered and will be understood that any individual feature, specification, method, system, or useful function disclosed herein may be embodied on its own, or together with compatible functions, to provide various useful improvement to one or more existing communication systems in the field of photography.
Embodiments in accordance with the current disclosure may make use of any user interface elements or radio wireless communication elements and/or protocols which may be provided by a PDA. A user may interface with various elements of the PDA and may send any desired interface selection or interaction to another device such as, but not limited to, a camera, a computer on the internet or a LAN, various lighting devices or other photographic accessory devices. Automatically, or in response to a user interaction, any setting, status, data, configuration, image, file, viewfinder live preview, or any other indication or data element may be communicated by a camera to another device, or queried by another device of a camera.
Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure may provide an intermediate element such as a device, apparatus, fixture, or the like, which may include one or more USB interfaces which may be capable of operating in a Host USB mode, or a USB OTG mode. The intermediate device may include a microprocessor, firmware, and various other circuitry.
Various embodiments may be arranged to connect a USB port of the camera to a USB port of an intermediate device (which may be configured to operate in a Host USB mode), and to also connect a USB port of a PDA to a USB port of the intermediate device; wherein a microprocessor of the intermediate device and/or firmware of the intermediate device may be able to communicate, or otherwise structure, data so as to be readable to, or from, a PDA; and also communicate, or otherwise structure, data as to be readable to, or from, a camera, and further to translate various formatting, ordering, or flow of the data between the two such that data or indication from the camera may be available to a user via the PDA and vise versa.
Embodiments may also, or instead, enable the intermediate device to connect to a hot shoe connector of the camera via a mating hot shoe connector such that the intermediate device may be able to communicate signals with the camera via the hot shoe connector of the camera, and may interact with those signals, replace those signals, alter those signals, preview those signals, store those signals, or in any possible way interact with or otherwise manipulate any and/or all data to or from the camera via the hot shoe connector of the camera. Furthermore the intermediate device may be configured to communicate any or all data, status, indication, files, or any other element wirelessly with any other wireless device having a compatible radio signal antenna and receiver via a radio signal antenna and transmitter which may be present internal to or external to the intermediate device. In a similar way, the intermediate device may also, or instead, be configured to transmit any or all, or any portion, of the described data to a coupled PDA which may in turn cause PDA software to operate a radio module of the PDA to relay any, or all, or any portion, of the described data to be sent to another wireless device by various radio frequency bands and protocols such as, but not limited to, 802.11 WiFi, BlueTooth, ZigBee, Machine to Machine (“M2M”), and the like.
Embodiments disclosed herein may provide a device that may include a first USB port configured to couple with a USB port on a camera. The device may include circuitry that may be configured to send USB signals to the camera, and/or to receive USB signals from the camera, and to operate in USB Host mode, and/or USB OTG (on the go) mode, as the camera operates in Device mode. In some cases the circuitry may include a processor. In other cases it may not. The device may also include a second USB port configured to couple with a PDA. The circuitry of the device may be further configured to send USB signals to the PDA, and/or to receive USB signals from the PDA, and to operate in USB Host mode, and/or USB OTG mode, as the PDA operates in Device mode. The circuitry may include various components which may include a microprocessor. In some cases all, or most of the circuitry may be included in the microprocessor.
With some example embodiments the device may include a switching part which may be configured to electrically disconnect the circuitry from the first USB port.
With some example embodiments the device may include a microprocessor configured to cause to be displayed on a display of the PDA an indication of a ratio of light setting between two or more remote lighting devices. The microprocessor may also be configured to receive an adjusted ratio of light settings, and may include a memory configured to store the adjusted ratio of light settings. The microprocessor may also be configured to communicate the adjusted ratio of light settings to the one or more remote lighting devices upon receipt of a shutter activation signal. The ratio of light settings may be adjusted by a user using an interface included with the PDA.
In some cases the microprocessor may be configured to cause the PDA to send exposure information to a wireless access point via an Internet communication protocol wherein the wireless access point may be configured to relay the exposure information to one or more radio signal receiving devices which may be respectively coupled with one or more remote lighting devices.
In some cases the microprocessor may be configured to cause the PDA to send activation and/or trigger information to a wireless access point via an Internet communication protocol wherein the wireless access point may be configured to relay the exposure information to one or more radio signal receiving devices which may be respectively coupled with one or more remote lighting devices.
In some cases the microprocessor may be configured to cause the PDA to send exposure information via WiFi to one or more radio signal receiving devices which may be respectively coupled with, and/or included within, one or more remote lighting devices.
In some cases the microprocessor may be configured to cause the PDA to send activation and/or trigger information via WiFi to one or more radio signal receiving devices which may be respectively coupled with, and/or included within, one or more remote lighting devices.
The term “WiFi” when used herein may be interpreted in a typical way and/or it may be interpreted in a broader sense to be refer to various means of wireless communication such as, for example, communication enabled in accordance with various wireless standards such as IEEE 802.11, and/or via mesh networking architecture, and the like, including various proprietary communication approaches which may utilize standard, or proprietary radio signals which may be sent to and/or from a PDA, or to and/or from any device which may be available to a consumer as an access point.
With some example embodiments the device may include a radio module which may be configured to communicate via radio waves with one or more radio signal receiving devices which may be respectively coupled with one or more remote lighting devices.
The device may include a device hot shoe connector configured to couple with a camera hot shoe connector. The device may also be configured to send signals to and receive signals from the camera via the device hot shoe connector.
Various embodiments may provide a system. The system may include an intermediate device that may be configured to be operatively interposed between a camera and a PDA. The intermediate device may include: a first USB port that may be configured to couple with a USB port on the camera; circuitry that may be configured to send USB signals to the camera and/or to receive USB signals from the camera, and to operate in USB Host mode, and/or USB OTG (on the go) mode, as the camera operates in Device mode; a second USB port that may be configured to couple with the PDA; and the circuitry may be further configured to send USB signals to the PDA and/or to receive USB signals from the PDA, and to operate in USB Host mode, and/or USB OTG mode, as the PDA operates in Device mode. The intermediate device may also include a microprocessor that may be configured to enable the PDA to do one or more of: access image data stored on a memory card of the camera, and to display one or more images captured by the camera on a display of the PDA; copy image data stored on the memory card of the camera to a memory resident on the PDA; activate the camera to capture an image; query settings of the camera; set and/or change settings of the camera; and control a remote piece of photographic equipment.
The term “image” may refer to any photographic data which may include, but may not be limited to for example, JPEG data, proprietary RAW images files, or video.
In some embodiments the system may include a remote lighting device that may be configured to emit a pre-flash of a known intensity to at least partially illuminate a subject in a photographic environment. The camera may be configured to measure an amount of light reflected off the subject including light from the pre-flash, and directed through a lens of the camera. The camera may also be configured to calculate a preferred exposure value for illuminating the subject with a main-flash based on the measured amount of light and to communicate the preferred exposure value as exposure information. The microprocessor of the intermediate device may be further configured to identify the exposure information sent by the camera, and to communicate the exposure information from the intermediate device to the PDA via the second USB port.
The system may also include a wireless access point. The PDA may be configured to send the exposure information from the PDA to the wireless access point using an internet communication protocol. The wireless access point may be configured to relay the exposure information to a remote radio receiving device using radio waves. The remote radio receiving device may be configured to communicate the exposure information to the remote lighting device to cause the flash device to emit the main-flash using the preferred exposure value for illuminating the subject.
In some embodiments the system may include a display on the PDA. The PDA may be configured to: display on the display a ratio of light settings between two or more remote lighting devices; receive a user inputted adjustment of the ratio of light settings; and send the adjusted ratio of light settings to the intermediate device. A radio module may be included in the intermediate device that may be configured to send radio signals to two or more radio signal receiving devices respectively coupled for communication with the two or more remote lighting devices. The intermediate device may be further configured to recognize a shutter activation signal from the camera, and to cause the radio module to send to the two or more radio signal receiving devices the adjusted ratio of light settings in order to cause each respective two or more remote lighting devices to emit flashes of an intensity in accordance with the adjusted ratio of light settings.
In some cases, the intermediate device may be further configured to store the adjusted ratio of light settings in a memory resident on the intermediate device until the shutter activation signal is recognized.
In some embodiments the intermediate device may be further configured to cause thumbnail representations of full size photographic images stored on a memory of the camera to be sent from the camera to the PDA via the intermediate device. In some cases the PDA may include a display and an interface. The PDA may be configured to: display the thumbnail representations on the display; and recognize, from a user using the interface, a selection of one of the thumbnail representations as a selected thumbnail image. The PDA may then be used to cause the camera, through a selection made with the interface on the PDA, to send a full size photographic image corresponding to the selected thumbnail image to the intermediate device; receive an input to send the full size image to a wireless access point and to send the full size image to the wireless access point; and to cause the wireless access point to send the full size image to a computing device coupled with a computer network. The PDA may be configured with one or more computer processor executable programs to perform various components of the actions and/or functions disclosed herein.
Various embodiments may provide a method of using a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) as a control, or information retrieval, aid in a photographic setup, the method may include: operatively coupling a first USB port of an intermediate device to a USB port of a camera, and operating the intermediate device in USB Host mode as the camera operates in USB Device mode; and operatively coupling a second USB port of the intermediate device to a USB port of the PDA, and operating the intermediate device in USB Host mode as the PDA operates in USB Device mode. The method may then include using the PDA to do one or more of: querying settings of the camera; and setting and/or changing settings of the camera.
In some examples the method may also include: performing one or both of: accessing image data stored on a memory card of the camera and viewing one or more images captured by the camera on a display of the PDA; and copying image data stored on the memory card of the camera to a memory resident on the PDA.
In some examples the method may also include activating the camera to capture an image, and/or controlling a remote piece of photographic equipment.
In some examples the controlling a remote piece of photographic equipment may include: identifying exposure information sent by the camera with the intermediate device; communicating the exposure information from the intermediate device to the PDA; sending the exposure information from the PDA to a wireless access point using an internet communication protocol; relaying the exposure information to a remote radio receiving device with the wireless access point; and communicating the exposure information from the remote radio receiving device to the remote piece of photographic equipment wherein the remote piece of photographic equipment is a flash device responsive to the exposure information. The flash device may respond by emitting a flash of an intensity determined by the exposure information.
In some examples the identifying exposure information sent by the camera may include receiving the exposure information with the intermediate device via a hot shoe connector on the intermediate device mated with a hot shoe connector on the camera.
In some examples the method may also include: displaying a ratio of light settings between two or more remote lighting devices on the display of the PDA; adjusting the ratio of light settings using an interface of the PDA; sending the adjusted ratio of light settings to the intermediate device; storing the adjusted ratio of light settings in a memory resident on the intermediate device; and upon receiving a shutter activation signal from the camera, sending to the two or more remote lighting devices, via radio signals, adjusted lighting settings in accordance with the adjusted ratio of light settings via respective radio signal receiver devices coupled with each of the respective two or more remote lighting devices.
In some examples the method may also include: causing thumbnail representations of full size photographic images stored on a memory of the camera to be sent from the camera to the PDA; causing the thumbnail representations to be displayed on a display of the PDA; using an interface on the PDA and selecting one of the thumbnail representations as a selected thumbnail image; causing the camera to send a full size photographic image corresponding to the selected thumbnail image to the intermediate device; causing the intermediate device to send the full size image to a wireless access point; and causing the wireless access point to send the full size image to a computing device coupled with a computer network. In some cases the causing the camera to send a full size photographic image corresponding to the selected thumbnail image to the intermediate device may be done using the interface on the PDA.
In some cases the camera may send one or more full size photographic image corresponding to the selected thumbnail image to the intermediate device. In other cases the camera may send a photographic image that is not full size. One or more images may be a smaller size, such as a smaller digital file size.